Potato-planter



VJ A

Patented Sept. 21,1920.

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1 f f l l f F. W. LEE.

POTATO PLANTER. APPucAnon man Nov. l5. |919. 1,353,356.

. Chroma.'

FRANK WILLIAM Las, or sroniiivn`-wesiyifivsronm POTATQ-PILANTER."

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application feed november 15, 1919.Y sensi No. 338,262.

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that LFRANK'W'. VLEE, a

citizen of the j United States, residing at Spokane,in the county ofSpokane, State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Potato-Planters, of

which the following is a specification.

rEhe present invention relates to an 1mproved potato planter forselecting and de' positing the seed potato'behind the shovel of theimplement, and the invention embodies aV rotating dispenser, mountedupon the main axle to rotate therewith, and'may be utilized inconnection with aysingle row planter directlyfon and "rotating with itsy driving axle.l

tically disposed drum, for selecting a single seed potato andsaid-selecting means is designed to positively retain the seed until itreaches Vthe required operativeposition with relation to the plantertube in order that the seed maybe released and fedk through the plantertube for depositing in the trenchat the rear of the shovel.

The combinations and arrangements of Vparts illustratedV in the,drawings and'described andA claimed in the accompanying specificationshow the physical embodiment of my invention according to the best modeI have so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof.

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section show' ing the dispenser andselecting and depositing devices within thedispenser, and related partsof the planter.

F ig. 2 is a transverse vertical 4sectional view of the dispenser.

In order that the invention may be readily understood I have`illustrated so much of a potato planter as is necessary for the purpose,the numeral 1 indicating the usual form, of shovel for turning up afurrow or trench which is closed by the disk or track member 2 suitablysupported from thev frame indicated at 3. The driving axle 4 revolveswith the traction wheel 5, and the vhopper 6 for containing the seedpotatoes is elevated and supported on the main frame in any propermanner, at the rear of the driving axle. lBelow the open lower,contracted end or bottom of the hopper, 6',

Patented semer, 159,201.1

which fashioned 7 islsup'ported andaforni's -a portion 'of-fthe i" l'hopper `from which vthe vseed"potatoestransferred tothedispenseI-,indicatfed as va V a flat,' ci'r Vcular drum 1s provided witha side or coverV kplate 9, and the bod-y of the Vvdrum andithe wholebythe numeral 8;

The dispenser, inthe form of plate are fashionedwith complementary hubsections'lO and 11 `respectively to lwhich the shaft 4 isy fixed vsothat the drum vwillref i v olve with the shaft.= Thesetwo hubse'ctionsare formed onadjoiningfacesof their supporting members,and together',the sed'.

tions form .a continuous sleeve between the body of thedrum and its'closure plate, vand the partsv of the ldrum` are Ikthus Yheldk to,-gether, but do not revolve together.A In Fig. 2 it will be seen thattheside platel 9 is bolted to the channel iron or frame member 3,-rand theshaft 4 is journaled vin the hub lsection 11 of this plate, 'a sleeve12Kl being indicatedl for supporting and retaining the .shaftfand plateinvproper relationship, the .drum-S however, which, together with theside vplate forms the dispenser does 'rotate 'with the shaft inthe.direction of the arrow in Fig.

by usual power. n Y

.The periphery of .the drum'isprOVided with a circumferential angevlinwhichis v1, las the implementj'advances oris drawn 2 provided twopairsV of diametrically varf` ranged depressions,'recesses, or pockets14 all similarV in structure yandoperation,v and i open at their outerfacesv to receive 'and contain the seedV potatoes, and between thesepockets are smaller depressions or. notches 15 forming abrupt shoulderslwhich will'agi.-

tate 0I VSDIUP the Seed potatoes in the feed hopper or tube 7, as theshoulderspassfthe opening of the feed tube. At the rear end of eachpocketan angula finger 17'is provided, itspivotY point 18 e'X- tendingtransversely of the drum and 'its 19 being pivotally 'connected with'the do.. Vlink 2O which link is in turn pivotally connected to the camlever 21 that is'pivotedatv i 22 in the drum. The cam lever 21 isprovided at its bent end with an antifriction roller 23 `and a spring 24attache'dftofthe or securedto the sidey plate 9 of the drum, :IL

`lever and to the drum causes the roller vto oaY `the side plate andarranged diainertically opposite the shaft 4 and extend transverselyofthe drum, the camv plates of course remaining stationary while thecamY levers withl their rollers revolve with the drum about the shaft 4.

In the arrangement of there are vfour gripping fingers for the seed.pgtato and two cani' plates for actuating' theseiingers,and in F lofthe drawings the action ofthe two plates 4and the lingers is shown,one finger selecting a single seed potato, at the right, and the votherlinger just'having released the Aseed due to the cam plate 26. Thus, asthe drum revolves, the fingers that are inoperative, as for instance thelowermostlinger,- a-re held within the perimeter' Vof the drum, but whentheroller 23 engages the cam 25 the linger is opened, away from the'wallof the pocket and the linger passes the 4open lowerend ofthe feed tubef7 a seed potato isgripped between the linger and wall .ofthe pocket dueto the action of the cam. and spring. lie selected potato is carried,inthe grip of the finger,

Y up and over, as indicated atthe upper peint ofthe drum` in Fig. l,untilV the roller engages the cam plate 26, and the passage. of therollerA over thev cam plate 26 causes the ingerto swing out and releasethe seed'potato latthe proper point so that the seed falls tovandthrough the planter' tube 2l at the rear' ofv thershovel 1. The seedVthusis released and deposited through the planter tube, v and thevdisk2 covers the 4seed .The throat 6 prevents anV accumulation oli/excessseed potatoes in the feedtube and the abrupt shoulders 16 ofthe rotatingdrumcontinually stir up the seeds in the feed tube, thus preventingcongestion, and the fingers, Vas .they successively pass the openlower.' end of.the feed tube 7, grip only a single seed, yas described.vY r vparts in the drum in the pockets,V and nieanson the platefori-successively selecting'and releasing a `seed,'as described. Y

3. The combination with the driving axle and drum having peripheralpo'cletf'iV and a seed gripping device foreach pocket, `oi anon-rotatable closure plate having diainet* rically opposed cani plates,and each said gri pping device including aii'act.. lever cooperatingwith the cam platesfo-r succes sively selecting and releasing .a seed;

4. The combination with the'driving axleV and drum formed withperipheralpockets, of'a gripping nngerv for each poclzet'and anactuating klever, for each finger,"of anonrotatable side plate formed.withfopposed f Vcani platesA to engage said gripping'i'inger forsuccessively selecting and releasing .a

seed. Y

5. Thecombinationwith .-.the drivingl axle and its drum havingperipheralV shouldersas described and formed with periphe'ralpockets, ofa Vpivoted grippingv finger for each pocket, apivoted actuating lever'and alink v connecting thev linger. andA lever, anon-rotatable'sideplatefand opposedreainl plates thereonto engage saidlever for causing the finger to successively 1- selectA and release aseed. Y g1 n v 1 l In testimony whereof. I affix my signature.

FRANK -vviLLiiiMgl Les.

